Box Score AIKEN, SC--Columbus State (8-6, 3-1 PBC) scored five points in the final 91 seconds to break a 61-61 tie and push the Lady Cougars to a 66-61 win over the USC Aiken Lady Pacers (10-5, 2-2 PBC) on Saturday night at "The Courthouse" in women's Peach Belt Conference action. CSU continues its dominance over the Lady Pacers now having won 18 of the last 20 meetings between the two programs. 

Katie Mitchell hit a jumper with 14:53 to play in the second half to equal the Lady Pacers largest lead of the game at 46-39. The Lady Cougar defense, however, kicked it up a gear and stymied USCA's offense holding them scoreless for the next 6:15. During the drought, CSU rattled off 10 straight points capped by three consecutive buckets in the paint from Erin Gibbs. The 5-11 sophomore finished with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. 

USC Aiken reclaimed the lead with back-to-back steals and lay-ups from freshman guard Gezel Virella, the latter at 8:20, to push ahead 50-49. CSU stayed close over the ensuing three minutes as USCA never led by more than three points over the span. D'Leisha Cockerham hit two free throws with 5:23 to play to knot the game up at 55-55. 

Trailing 59-57, Sarah Kendrick nailed a three-pointer with 2:13 to play to give USCA back the lead for the final time 60-59. Kendrick finished with 13 points, five assists, and four rebounds. 

In the first half, USC Aiken opened the game 4-of-5 from the field to snatch a quick 11-4 lead on a pair of Erica Larsen charity tosses at 16:14. CSU countered with a quick 5-0 run over the next 51 seconds to cut it to 11-9. Karina Pulici scored six of the Lady Cougars first seven points and hit her first three three-point attempts. She finished with a game-high 25 points on 6-of-7 shooting from behind the three-point arc. 

Gibbs hit a trey from the right baseline with 5:33 left in the opening stanza to give CSU the lead 25-23, its first since it was 3-2. Trelanne Moore's bucket in the paint at 4:30 gave CSU its last lead of the half 27-25. Moore finished with eight points.
Serbecic tied the game at 27-27 on the following possession to spark an 8-0 run to close the half and take a 33-29 lead at the break. Tonight's game was the first time this season that USCA lost when leading at the half (10-1). 

Kasey Mills scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in the first half. She finished 7-of-16 shooting from the field. 
Three days after shooting 10-of-19 from the three-point line in a win over UNC Pembroke, the Lady Pacers managed just 3-of-14 from deep for 21.4 percent. 

CSU entered the game as the worst rebounding team in the conference, but won the battle of the boards tonight 37-32. 

USC Aiken hosts North Division rival Francis Marion on Wednesday, January 21 at 5:30 PM. 

SCORING:
Columbus State (66): Karina Pulici 25, Erin Gibbs 17, Trelanne Moore 8, Isha Little 7, Angelica Graham 5, D'Leisha Cockerham 4

USC Aiken (61): Kasey Mills 17, Sarah Kendrick 13, Benazura Serbecic 8, Lana Mandic 7, Katie Mitchell 6, Gezel Virella 4, Haylee Reichert 3, Erica Larsen 2, Beata Szabo 1 .
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